Of Tragedy and Hellions
by tago-sans
Summary: Anything can happen in 2017. A shadowmancing sorcerer and a fiery demigod make for motley new additions to The Team. Follow these two in their escapades as they attempt to navigate the intricacies of interpersonal relationships between superheroes; all the while foiling the schemes of villains and madmen. (Featuring original characters and storylines)
1. Chapter 1: Let's Get Started

**METRO MANILA  
May 4, 21:16 PHST**

Rarely are missing persons in the Philippines ever found. " _Yet here I am. Where the hell are you, Leo?_ " a young man thinks to himself. He waits on the roof a building, gazing at the starless sky. The background noise of blaring car horns and low-humming vents—city sounds—momentarily distract him from his thoughts. He takes a deep breath and shifts his focus onto the four sparrows that have just landed in a neat line on a nearby ledge. He lightly pets each of them and then, out loud, " _ **ah gotha grah'n**_." Single-characters of eldritch runes appear above each sparrow's head and they fly off in different directions.

The young man reaches for a nylon sling-bag nearby. Attached to it is a tag that reads "Ethan Escudero" on one side and "Ateneo de Manila" on the other. " _Christ, Leo. Of all the times to go missing you just had to do it right before finals."_

* * *

 **METRO MANILA  
May 5, 16:25 PHST**

The tip of the metro south, where suburbs lie and just a few high-rise buildings have popped up. Dusk is settling in and the usual traffic piles up on the major roads. Horns blare in the background and noisy scooters with obnoxiously loud exhausts weasel through the standstill of cars. People in varying forms of office wear and students in their respective uniforms cross the streets and stroll through the sidewalks. The population inside a nearby mall grows as consumers and window-shoppers enjoy the plethora of stores and commodities. An armored truck momentarily stops in traffic right across the mall.

A wand points to the truck and a streak of electricity turns into a web that envelops the vehicle. The driver is knocked unconscious and nearby armed guards attempt to respond. One tries to take aim with his shotgun at the perceived attacker. Another bolt of electricity and the guard writhes in pain and falls to the ground.

"No mere mortal is a match for the magic might of Abra Kadabra!" He gloats as he strokes his chin.

As another guard tries to respond, Abra Kadabra disappears in a blink of light. Behind him! Another guard is incapacitated with a flick of wand and a zap of energy. As nothing else is left in his way, the villain blasts open the door of the armored truck. With another flick of his wand, he levitates the cases of money into the air and out of the truck all while keeping a satisfied grin on his face.

Then the sound of something whirring through the air rings louder till it hits its mark. A red disc sticks to the back of the truck and catches Abra Kadabra's attention. Immediately, the disc bursts into a bang and a blast of blinding light. Abra Kadabra is clearly phased and reels back covering his eyes. Then a caped figure swings down and cleanly lands a swift kick to the villain's jaw who now lies on the pavement. He tries to reach for his wand, but then—

"Yoink!" The wand vanishes in a blur. "Crash! Future tech. I call dibs!"

Abra Kadabra lifts his head off the pavement, then a shadow emerges from behind him. Suddenly he's lifted by the collars by a large, dark-skinned man. Guardian. "Show's over!" A swift headbutt and the villain is down for the count. "Robin!"

"I'm on it!"

Wonder Girl descends from above. "Let's just hogtie this creep and get going. I'm not exactly used to the spotlight." A small, but sizeable, crowd begins to form near the scene of the foiled crime. The bystanders cheer and hoot from afar.

Kid Flash zips to her side. "Just wave to the crowd and fly away. It's not like you have to blow a flying kiss."

"Ugh. Definitely not my style."

Sirens blare in the background. "I'm done." Robin says, "Time to let the police handle things from here."

A familiar voice sounds off in their heads. " _Alpha Squad, are things in the clear? Maintain your patrol while I rendezvous with the rest of Beta."_

" _Gotcha, Ms. M."_ Robin throws a glance at each of his teammates. _"Alpha, move out!"_

"Crash! Time to skedaddle."

" _ **Nnorr'e r'luh**_ _"_ Out loud, a figure invokes an incantation. He's clad in solid blue jeans and a dark, grey shirt. A black sling-bag rests on his back. From the adjacent building, he dons a half mask that covers the lower half of his face. The sun begins to set and he begins to blend in the background. The tall man stands with one foot perched on the parapet. " _Time to get moving._ "


	2. Chapter 2: Revelations

**METRO MANILA  
May 5, 19:21 PHST**

Eavesdropping on telepathic conversations are nigh impossible for non-telepaths. The right magic is necessary to make the process less daunting and more inconspicuous. Ideally, the eavesdropper must not get caught. A more clandestine sort of sorcery is necessary for the task and… " _that sort is exactly what I have."_

" _Couldn't listen to exactly what they were saying, but putting a psychic tracer on one of them was easy enough. Ok, so they must be somewhere along… there!"_ Ethan rushes towards the end of the rooftop. He leaps off the edge. The gap is seemingly too wide and high to reach with a single bound. He aims his hand above. An ebony arm extends forth and grasps onto the ledge above to which he is suddenly pulled. Another wide gap he covers with a mid-air jump that leaves behind shadowy wisps from the point of take-off.

The vents, the wires, the ledges, the broken glass are all easily avoided with the right duck, dodge, roll, and flip. He keeps his target in mind as he deftly navigates the urban jungle. " _The Martian, was it? Is that who I'm following? Christ, she's fast. I hope she gets to wherever she's going soon enough—"_ His thoughts are interrupted when he senses that she's stopped.

He closes the distance between him and his target. He sticks to the shadows as he approaches. The familiars forming the perimeter report no sign of the other heroes nearby. While the psychic pull of the tracer leads him to the nondescript roof of a skyscraper where his target lingers below him.

A light, delicate flick of the wrist conjures strands of shadows that attach themselves to the ledge of the building and around the waist and ankles of the caster. Upside down, Ethan descends till he's right above the first window. In a swift motion, he cups his hands together and opens them to reveal a small disembodied eye that he proceeds to blow in the direction of the first window. He sees what he needs to see without revealing himself. The Martian and several other superheroes assembled around a woman and a screen. He recognizes the heroes from the scene with Abra Kadabra though there are new faces interspersed with the familiar ones. Blue Beetle, literally fishy-looking guy, and a giant sphere are among those present.

" _Neat! So, we have mostly recognizable heroes, and a civilian woman—wait—that's—_ " Ethan's eyes widen expressing a realization. He focuses his attention to the woman in the center of the room. She towers over most of the other heroes. Her height complemented by her lissome figure. The hair, the clothes, and the figure are all parts that add up to the general elegance she exudes. "Agathe!" Ethan says as he walks inside the room with the other heroes. The windowpane behind him is open. He pulls down the mask that covers the lower half of his face. His tall figure is set in an unimposing stance. All the heroes, however, react immediately with their powers and weapons at the ready.

"Don't move!" Blue Beetle and Guardian exclaim simultaneously.

Kid Flash adds, "Who are you and what are you doing—"

"Ethan? Everyone please be at ease!" The woman named Agathe says emphatically. "Lower your weapons! I know him. He's a family friend."

"Agathe," Ethan throws a concerned look at her, "is this about Leo?"

"Wait." Ms. Martian says. "What does he know about your ward Leo? Second, how did he find us?"

"Yeah!" Kid Flash exclaims. "Did he follow one of us? Did he plant a tracker somewhere? How did he even get to a window on the thirty-second floor?!"

"I have…" Ethan responds, "questions of my own concerning Agathe."

"Whoa there!" Guardian speaks. "it ain't exactly fair to barge in like this unannounced. If you want answers, we need an explanation first."

"That's reasonable." Ethan says as he put his hands on his waist. "May I ask what has Agathe told you so far?"

"Ethan," Agathe replies, "you must've sensed something off about Leo's disappearance and you're here to ask the heroes for help, aren't you?"

Ethan shrugs. "Yes, otherwise I wouldn't be here. I suspect my friend has been kidnapped. Just in case I was being monitored by the culprits, I didn't want to tip them off that I was seeking the help of superheroes. Hence all the sneaking around."

Guardian throws a look at Agathe and immediately speaks. "That matches up with what the Miss has told us so far. She thinks Leo's been kidnapped too, but as to why, well, we were just getting to that. But first," Guardian's eyes widen just as he's about to speak, "how the hell did you find us?!"

"I… well… that's because…."

"He's a sorcerer." Agathe says as a matter-of-fact. "If he's anything like his uncle he most likely put a magical tracker on one of you."

"What?!" Ethan all exclaim with widened eyes. "Agathe, how long have you known?"

"We can get to that later, Ethan.

"But..." Ethan sighs. "Fine. Later then." Ethan looks away and his eyes narrow ever so slightly.

"Robin?"

"Oh. Uhm. Could both of you tell us what you know about Leo. We need to know more before we get to finding him."

"Uhm… right… right. For starters," Ethan adjusts his glasses briefly. "I found where Leo was most likely kidnapped. By chance, my familiars found a magically conspicuous alley." He then pulls out a dossier envelope from his bag and shows some photos to his group. "I found scorch marks littered across the alleyway along with deep cut marks and… blood streaks along the concrete. Then I found Leo's glasses and hat hidden among some burnt boxes. I've already used these for dowsing, but there seems to be some interference. Instead of pointing to a single exact location, I've been lead to three separate areas in Metro Manila."

"That narrows things down for us." Robin straightens his back and blinks twice. "Uhm, thank you, Ethan. This makes finding him easier. Though we still need to know who the kidnappers are and what they would want with your friend."

"I have no clue." Ethan sighs. "I couldn't really find a pattern between Leo's disappearance and other missing persons cases…. Yes, Agathe? You look like you have something to say."

"Ethan, I'm sorry for telling you this only now, but… Leo is a demigod. Whatever they what with him, it would most likely have to do with that."

"What?!" Ethan wears an evident look of shock as he processes the revelation. "How? Are you sure that he is? If he's a demigod then what are you?"

"I am Agathe of Themyscira. Queen Hippolyta had tasked me to be Leo's guardian. I do not doubt or second guess my queen, Ethan. I had the utmost faith that she was telling the truth when she explained Leo's divine origins."

"You're an Amazonian too?! Wait! Wait. Christ, I need time to process all this, but… later. Let's find Leo first."

"Sorry to interrupt this," Wonder Girl says as she raises her hand subtly, "but would that mean this Leo is the same as I am. I mean, living daughter of Zeus here."

Agathe straightens herself and briefly glances down. "His origins are a tad more complicated than yours I'm afraid. For the sake of brevity… he's the son of the Titan Helios."

"Oh," Wonder Girl rubs the back of her head. "That complicates things for sure."

"Later. Later." Ethan seems to have been mumbling. "Let's sort this all out later. Sorry, just muttering to myself. Whatever they want with a demigod can't be good. Now what?"


	3. Chapter 3: Why Is It Like This?

Ethan reluctantly makes eye contact with Agathe. He blinks twice right as he's about to speak. "Could've told me about all this earlier."

"Then what, Ethan?" Agathe returns a steady gaze back at him.

"I don't know. I could've done something—maybe prevent this from all happening?"

"Then what if they took you too? Leo is a demigod. These people just took him without making so much as a scene. What more you, Ethan?"

Ethan scratches the part of his neck below his ear. His eyebrows furrow even deeper as he thinks of a response. "I'm sorry… It's just… Agathe, I need transparency. Please tell me everything you know about me, Leo, and my uncle after all this is over. I can't stay in the dark like this forever."

"I'll tell you, don't worry. But please don't forget to take care of yourself, I can only handle so much loss."

"…."

"Hey," Robin approaches the two from the other side of the room, "we just briefed Aqualad on the new intel you've given us. He should start broadcasting our plan of attack at any moment now."

"Everyone." In the center of the room is a large blue screen. The image of Aqualad grabs everyone's attention. "In addition to the new information gathered from both Ms. Agathe and Ethan, Wonder Woman has also informed of the gravity of the situation. No good can come from a fully powered demigod falling into the wrong hands. We must hasten our efforts in finding Leo. I am splitting you all into three groups to cover the most ground. Guardian and La'gaan, use the Supercycle to scout Point A."

Guardians turns at the heel and walks to the door. "All right! We movin' out!"

"Finally, some action! Oh yeah!"

"Robin, Blue Beetle, and Kid Flash, you three are on point B. Please escort Ms. Agathe to the target as well. Wonder Woman has also assured me that the former is more than capable of handling herself should things go awry."

"On it." Robin nods in approval.

"Excuse me," Agathe says, "I just need a bit of time to get ready."

"Ethan, Ms. Agathe has also vouched for your ability to handle yourself. For the same reasons, as with her, I entrust your care to Ms. Martian and Wonder Girl as you make your way to point C."

"Uhm, I should warn you though," Ethan says with mild worry, "I've never been in a real fight before. I'm not sure how well I can take care of myself if worse comes to worst."

"Don't worry," Ms. Martian places a calm hand on Ethan's shoulder. "we'll make sure nothing will happen to you."

Wonder Girl raises her fists in the air. "You can count on us!"

"I can assure that as well." Aqualad says in a very stoic manner. "The priority is the rescue of Leo Martirez; hence, should there be no extenuating circumstances, all teams are to rendezvous with the team that finds him. Avoid engaging any hostiles until the target's safety is secured. That's an order."

"Understood. Ms. Martian out."

* * *

It's clearly past midnight. Urban valleys formed by streets and skyscrapers are filled with the occasional persons, but the blitz of pedestrians and cars of rush hour has vanished. The infamous traffic of Manila has dispersed too and the city sounds of earlier can now be decisively ignored.

"By the way," Ethan looks up at Ms. Martian as he is currently being levitated by her, "you may drop me down now, Ms. Martian. I can form my own platform to stand on here."

"Oh, are you sure?"

"Yup. Don't worry about me."

Ethan is gently let down onto an ebony platform that he's just formed. He stands facing in the direction of a warehouse below him. The trio of Ms. Martian, Wonder Girl, and Ethan Escudero stand high enough in the air to avoid detection from people below

"How do you think we should approach this?" Wonder Girl muses.

"I can phase through the roof and check out the inside myself."

"I recommend against that." Ethan gestures towards the perimeter of the warehouse. "If we're dealing with warlocks they may have wards or barriers that prevent entry in that manner."

"Oh. Really?"

"It's a possibility. I have enough experience dealing with other magic users to know that we're mostly a secretive and suspicious bunch. I've also checked the surrounding area using my familiars. What's strange is that there's nothing registering as a mystic red flag. I can go down there and check the area myself though. That's the safest bet."

"Oh. Is that all right with you? Wouldn't that be too risky?"

"It's fine. While I'm not sure what to do in a fight, I can sure as hell avoid one."

"All right, I'll be sending Wonder Girl nearby as back-up. I'll stay up here and stand watch… Ethan?"

"Is he gone?" Wonder Girl looks around and shrugs. "I didn't notice. Wait! What about the psychic link?"

"Don't worry, I set one up right before he disappeared _. Ethan, can you hear me? What's your position?"_

" _I've slipped through the outer walls of the warehouse. Nothing of note yet. I'm checking windows now and… empty, the warehouse is seemingly deserted. Though I can fix that."_ Ethan draws a triangle in the window with his fingers and whispers, " _ **ee tharanak!**_ _"_ The window's view of an abandoned warehouse vanishes and reveals the real interiors of the building. " _I was right! This place is rife with all sorts of wards, sigils, and barriers_. _Guys, come down to where I am."_

Ms. Martian and Wonder Girl gather at the window where Ethan cast his spell.

"Woah." Wonder Girl eyes widen at what she sees. "This warehouse is definitely not abandoned."

The inside looks like a scene from a movie about a deranged cult. The whole interior of the warehouse glows an ominous red. Ritual circles are scattered all over the walls, ceiling, and floor. The largest ritual circle though lies at the back end of the building. There an altar lies at the center of the circle and in front of it are crowds of kneeling robed people in square formations.

" _Ugh, Cultists."_ Wonder Girl rolls her eyes at the thought. " _Zealots are the worst._ "

" _Is that Leo?!"_ Ethan exclaims. He sees his friend lying unconscious on the stone slab. _"Christ, what are they doing to him? And what is he wearing?"_ Leo lies on the stone slab dressed in some sort of red ceremonial garb.

Ms. Martian remains calm. _"Nothing yet it seems. I'm gonna call this in._ Aqualad, we found him."

Aqualad's voice resonates through the comm channels. "I'll call in the rest of the team to the site. Good work."

" _Ms. Martian,"_ Ethan throws a glance at his green companion. " _I really don't want to wait here while my friend is in potential danger."_

" _I understand, but we need a plan of attack. Your friend's safety is our first priority."_

" _If that's the case then I have an idea—"_

"BROTHERS AND SISTERS!" A voice erupts from general direction of the altar.

" _Is that the head cultist? Ok Let me speed things up then…."_


	4. Chapter 4: Rescue Time

The followers listen on in solemn silence. A caped figure clad in blood red and royal purple appears before the altar. The other noticeable feature of the leader is half the skull of an indeterminable animal on top of the man's head. The jaw of the skull rests on the man's collarbone. "Let me keep this brief, brothers and sisters. At this very moment, you shall all bear witness to what will be the single greatest moment in the history of our faith: my ascension into godhood."

The crowd rises and begins to cheer. Their voices heard from across the expanse of the building.

"I spit at the temples of those false gods, those charlatan idols. Those compare not to the greatness—no—the divine supreme that is I, Brother Blood!"

The crowd begins to raise their fists in unison then they all chant simultaneously: "BROTHER BLOOD! BROTHER BLOOD! BROTHER BLOOD!

"After this none shall be able to challenge my—"

CRASH! A wall suddenly bursts open and out comes flying Wonder Girl and Ms. Martian. The zealots' response is immediate as several of them pull out rifles and pistols from underneath their robes. They begin to fire at the two heroines. They both fly in a snaking pattern and easily avoid the bullets. Wonder Girl lassos one of the henchmen and swings him around to knock out a few of the other armed men. Ms. Martian, on the other, hand disarms several of them with her telekinesis.

"Pests!" Brother Blood rebukes the heroines and he steps down from the altar. "Halt!" He aims both hands at Ms. Martian and Wonder Girl. A red aura surrounds both and they are forced into some sort of stasis. Their freedom of motion robbed. Their faces, frozen in shock. Brother Blood then gestures his hands together. The two heroines are sent careening into one another. The force stuns them and they both fall to the center of the building. The other cultists surround the two of them.

"You!" Brother Blood steps onto a solid red platform and he levitates to the scene. "You two think you can barge in my sanctum and do as you please?! No alien whelp or child of a false deity will interrupt my rise to divinity. Now sleep!" The villain's eyes grow as he stares at the two. Ms. Martian and Wonder Girl then gently fall into forced unconsciousness. "Hm." Brother Blood then examines the faces of the two heroines. "A shame that such an illness has to be so pervasive among the youth, but I do know the cure. Soon you shall both be of my body and blood—AAAARGH!"

A black lance emanating shadowy wisps sticks in the back of Blood's skull. Then it dissipates into oblivion. There is no wound, however, as Brother Blood staggers from the pain and nausea. Ms. Martian and Wonder Girl soon regain consciousness though the surrounding cultists have their attention drawn to their leader who is still reeling from the shock of the attack.

Ms. Martian opens her eyes and she sees Ethan and an awoken Leo by the altar.

" _Thank you."_ Ethan nods in the heroes' direction. " _I really appreciate the distraction guys, sorry you had to go through that ordeal, but I have finally have Leo. When is back-up—"_

"You!" Leo's face turns into a scowl directed toward Brother Blood. He flies off the altar and charges towards his target. As he flies his fists ignite into a fiery blaze. Just as his punch is about to hit, a solid red barrier blocks it and protects Brother Blood from harm.

"Insolence! I will not stand for this interruption. Sleep!" Despite Blood's command, there seems to be no effect on Leo and the former's eyes and mouth widen quizzically.

"Looks like your trick ain't working no more. My turn." Leo places both hands on the barrier and a fiery explosion erupts from the point of contact. The force of the blast knocks back all the other henchmen while Ms. Martian protects herself and Wonder Girl with a telekinetic shield.

"Oh. Sorry about that! I didn't see you guys there. Wait. Ms. Martian? A young, blonde wonder gal person? And E—" Just as Leo is about to say the name, Ethan (still wearing his half-mask) presses a finger to where his lips should be. "Uh, right. Hello, Friend."

Brother Blood, still standing on a red platform, floats up from the smoke and ashes of the explosion. His pristine cape and adornments have all been tarnished by soot and various tears. "I've had enough of this! My divinity shall not be denied." The villain says as he grits his teeth. He gestures and raises his hands. Behind him grow two massive crimson claws.

One of the claws is thrust toward Leo at such a speed that he is forced to block. The demigod is sent flying back into a wall. He grits his teeth and resumes his charge against the cult leader.

"Look out!" Ms. Martian and Wonder Girl narrowly escape another attack from one of the red claws. Brother Blood then unleashes a barrage of thrashing red waves. They slice through air cutting through whatever's in their path. The heroes narrowly avoid each blow. Wonder Girl is forced to use her bracelets to block some of the attacks as she charges towards Blood. She lands a mighty punch on the red barrier that causes a booming shockwave. All the glass in the warehouse breaks. Even Brother Blood is pushed back, but as he is, a massive beam of light emanates from one of the claws and directly hits Wonder Girl. She attempts to block, but she is pushed back with such force that she is launched through the ceiling of the warehouse and high into the sky above.

After withstanding such an attack, she faints and falls. "Gotcha!" Guardian safely maneuvers the Supercycle and catches Wonder Girl. "Hey, you ok?"

"Minus the headache, I'm mostly all right. Where are the others?"

"We all just got here." Says Lagoon Boy.

" _Guys, can you hear me?"_ Ms. Martian establishes a telepathic link. " _We're having trouble with this Brother Blood. He's nearly pinning us all—Blue! —Please hurry."_

Brother Blood's barrier has formed into a sort of gyroscope covered in an assortment of runes. Streaks of red electricity scatter across the warehouse. The fusillade of slicing blood waves continues as well. _"None of my attacks are working!"_ Blue Beetle dodges another swipe from one of the claws and growls in frustration. " _That barrier's redirecting everything I throw at him. I can't get in close either."_

"Allow me!" Lagoon Boy expands into his magically, enlarged form then rushes towards the villain. He withstands the onslaught of slicing waves and red electricity and begins to draw near the villain. But then another beam erupts from one of the points in the claw and pushes Lagoon Boy back. The beam ricochets off his body and square into Blue Beetle's shoulder. "Aargh!"

" _Blue! I got you!"_ Wonder Girl catches him as he falls.

" _Gracias, Hermana."_

" _Blue, you ok?"_ Kid Flash runs alongside the two.

" _Don't worry about me, Hermano. Go kick that jerk's butt."_

" _On it!"_ Kid Flash runs past the claws and easily dodges the slicing crescent waves. " _Ha! This bullet hell attack is way too slo—"_ A crack of lightning and Kid Flash is propelled back. A stormy red cloud flies above Blood. It flashes and cracks as electricity surges around it.

" _Uh… A little help? Really feeling the mode here, guys._ "

"Coming through!" Guardian announces his entrance through the hole above the ceiling. Using the Supercycle's armaments he blasts at the barrier. "It's not working!" He growls in frustration.

"Guardian!" Robin calls.

He narrowly escapes the Supercycle right before its pinned down by one of the red claws. The claw begins to liquefy and it envelops the Supercycle preventing it from firing its weapons. Then the red liquid coagulates and crystallizes.

Guardian looks on in shock. "Oh, that bastard's going down for this!"

" _Easier said than done, holmes."_

" _Jaime Reyes,"_ the voice of the scarab speaks to him. _"we must go on the defensive. This armor is not made to withstand magical energies at this level._ "

"Leo, look out!" Right as a streak of lightning is about to strike him, Agathe blocks it with her shield. "Are you ok?" Agathe is adorned in traditional Greek armor with a breastplate, greaves, and bracers. Sword and shield are in hand.

"I'm fine. Thank—look out!"

Leo unleashes a barrage of fireballs negating the crescent waves careening for him and Agathe.

" _Guys, I'm shutting off the telepathic link for a bit. I'm going to try something._ " Ms. Martian places a finger on her temple. "Here goes nothing…" She directs a psychic attack on the blood sorcerer. But then she's suddenly forced back and reels in pain from some sort of backlash. Right before a claw reaches her, Leo swoops in and saves her from the attack. "Are you ok?" He says.

"I'm all right. But, oh wait. _I've re-established the telepathic link. I've included Leo and Agathe as well._ "

" _Woah."_ Leo suddenly wears a quizzical expression. " _Are you inside my head? Anyway, I think you guys should know that I might be able to blast that reinforced barrier away like before, but I need to get in close."_

Robin flips back and dodges a blast of red lightning. _"Not the easiest thing to do right now."_

" _I know, I know. There just has to be a way we can—"_

Suddenly the gyroscopic barrier surrounding Blood seems to be boiling. Bubbles and smoke being to obscure the runs and, slowly, the whole barrier begins to melt away. "What?!" Blood says.

" _Leo now!"_

" _Ethan?_ " Leo begins to fly straight towards the now vulnerable Brother Blood. " _Whatever you did, thanks!_ " The villain forms another makeshift barrier, but that is not enough. The blazing blast pushes Blood forcibly into a wall. His clothes now in complete tatters. And as he struggles to bring himself up, Ethan appears at Blood's side.

" _ **F**_ _ **m'latgh 'bthnk**_ ". Suddenly Blood's body is raised up as it's impaled by a shadowy spear. The victim's mouth and eyes open at the shock of the sensation and he looks as though he's silently screaming. Then the shadow dissipates and, again, no visible wound is left on the body.

Ethan gesticulates in mild panic upon noticing the confused faces of the heroes. "Don't worry! Don't worry! He's not dead. See? No blood. I just rendered him unconscious. I also cancelled what I could of his magic, just in case he had anything up his sleeve. He should be out for a good while now."

"Dude," Leo looks at his friend and crosses his arms. "You have some explaining to do."

"Hey, you're the demigod with fire powers. You've kept me in the dark forever until now. If anyone deserves an explanation first, it's me."

"Well you're... you're... you've got shadowy powers. What the hell did you just do anyway?

"I leeched his energy and figuratively closed his magic valve… for now only, I mean."

"Why didn't you do that earlier? What the hell were you doing while we were risking our lives out here?"

"Well who broke down the protective wards around the building thus letting in reinforcements come in unimpeded?"

"Wait, you did that?"

"And who shut down his brainwashing and stasis spells?"

"You could do those things? Now who's the one that's been kept in the dark?!"

"Oh yeah! Well who let themselves get kidnapped?"

"I didn't let anyone kidnap me!"

"Uhm." Wonder Girl scratches the back of her head. "Are they gonna be okay?" Her comment does little to stop the two friends from bickering in the background.

"Every relationship has its quirks." Robin shrugs and smiles lightly. The other heroes follow suit.


End file.
